Potentially the most famous K-Pop act on the scene today, many are familiar with the members of BTS. But what new fans may not be as familiar with is the extensive work each member has done both individually and for their own group compositions. SUGA, also known by his solo moniker Agust D, has been creating music since pre-debut, with his solo work extending to compositions for other artists only recently. As of today, The Korea Music Copyright Association credits him with over 100 songs as a songwriter and composer. Diving deeper, you will truly see how far SUGA’s musical influence goes not just in his own group, but through the whole K-Pop scene itself.

SUGA has contributed to the lyrics of every BTS song ever released, but his first production to be used for the group was on their debut album on the song “Path.” Most ARMYs are more likely familiar with his work in Skool Luv Affair, the group’s third album, where it’s common knowledge that he worked on the songs “Tomorrow” and “Jump.” “Tomorrow” remains a fan favorite, due to a backstory he had once shared that he created the beat in his trainee days and the uplifting message that he relays through the lyrics.

SUGA’s work gained a significant amount of recognition as time went on, kicking off with “Let Me Know” but truly gaining steam into The Most Beautiful Moment in Life era. During that era, he took the reins on the intro tracks in part one and two, and his lyrics struck a chord with many listeners of BTS in a way that solidified his musical talents across the board. Part one saw him penning his beats onto the track “Boyz with Fun” and part two saw his potentially most popular created track, “Dead Leaves.” As BTS gained even more recognition worldwide, so did SUGA’s compositions and his contributions to the group as a whole.

After RM released his first mixtape in 2015, SUGA came up next in 2016 and released his mixtape under the pseudonym Agust D, an identity that comes from his pre-trainee days in the underground scene. In-house producers PDogg and Slow Rabbit helped in the production, but the entire album was totally self-composed otherwise. The release of Agust D showed an even more emotionally intense side to SUGA, showcasing the true importance of music to him and his passion for creating it.

He began branching out to other Korean artists in 2017, which began with the now famous collaboration with Korean R&B singer SURAN on her single “Wine.” The collaboration was so successful that it won the duo an award for “Best R&B/Soul Track of the Year” at the 2017 Melon Music Awards.

After BTS found major international success in 2018, SUGA began working with more artists. Though not credited as a producer, he did write lyrics along with Epik High’s Tablo and featured on Lee Sora’s hit “Song Request” at the beginning of 2019. It is also well known that SUGA looks up to the members of Epik High, so when it was announced that he would be the producer for a song on Epik High’s new album Sleepless in ________, ARMYs went crazy. Though not credited, his voice can be heard in Epik High’s “NO THANXXX,” a track released on the group’s previous album. The track on the new album, “Eternal Sunshine,” does not feature any of his vocals but for a whisper of “Suga” at the opening. Since their collaborations, Tablo has shared numerous times that he and SUGA are close.

His reputation of working with powerful women in the industry really solidified when it was announced that he would work with popular soloist HEIZE on a new single, “We Don’t Talk Together.” Rounding out 2019, SUGA branched out to the Western market and worked on a song for Halsey’s album Manic called “SUGA’s Interlude.”

2020 has been a productive year in SUGA’s career; on top of work on Map of the Soul: 7, he also released a song with arguably the most popular soloist in Korea, Miss IU. The song flew to the top of the charts and achieved a perfect-all-kill. Later in the year, SUGA released his second mixtape D-2, which broke a significant number of records for a Korean solo artist.

The last of SUGA’s collaborations to this date is work on the song “Blueberry Eyes” with Western artist MAX, who was also featured on D-2. BTS is currently gearing up for their next comeback and album, which no doubt will have SUGA’s creative print all over it. In 2018 he was promoted to a full member of the Korea Music Copyright Association, and there’s no doubt that he will continue to release great music and share his natural creativity with the world in as many ways as possible.